Its opening surpasses the previous record
Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend made history by becoming the first Indian film to top the UK and Ireland box office, recording the biggest opening weekend ever for an Indian release in the territory.
The mythological adventure took £1.7 million from 364 cinemas over its opening weekend, with a further £500,000 from previews bringing its total takings to £2.2 million.
The film also recorded an average of £4,749 per cinema, putting it ahead of a crowded field of new releases.
Its opening surpasses the previous record held by Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which collected £1.6 million over its opening weekend earlier in 2026 and £2.1 million including previews.
Indian films had previously reached second place in the UK and Ireland box office, with S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR in 2022, Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and Jawan in 2023, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge all achieving the position.
The achievement also marks a significant moment for Asian cinema, with Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend and Godzilla Minus Zero taking the top two positions in the UK and Ireland box office for the first time.
Anime Ltd’s Godzilla Minus Zero opened in second place with £1.1 million from 474 cinemas, taking its total to £1.4 million including previews.
Its opening weekend performance comfortably exceeded the £786,000 three-day debut of its 2023 predecessor, Godzilla Minus One.
The first film went on to earn £2.6 million in the territory, a figure the sequel will look to surpass in the coming weeks.
Ramayana: Rise Of A Legend is based on the ancient Indian epic about the marriage between a young prince and princess. With a reported budget of $420 million across two films, it is the most expensive Indian film ever made.
The film is the first instalment of a two-part story, with Ramayana: Part 2 scheduled to arrive in cinemas in October 2028.
Its opening weekend has put it in a strong position to challenge the £4.5 million lifetime takings of Dhurandhar: The Revenge and become the highest-grossing Indian film ever in the UK and Ireland.
Elsewhere in the top five, Black Bear’s comedy-drama Wicker was the only returning release, adding £1.1 million in its second weekend. Its takings fell by just 32%, the strongest hold among the top 15 films, taking its overall total to £4.3 million.
Concert film George Michael: The Faith Tour opened in fourth place, earning £1 million during its first weekend for Universal.
The film played across 592 cinemas, recording an average of £1,734 per site.
Rounding out the top five was Disney’s Wild Horse Nine, directed by Martin McDonagh, which collected just over £1 million from 660 cinemas. Including previews, the film has taken £1.5 million.
Its opening was below McDonagh’s previous releases, including The Banshees Of Inisherin, which debuted with £1.6 million in October 2022, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which opened with £2.2 million in January 2018.
Despite the strong performances from the new releases, combined takings for the top five films fell by 5% for a second consecutive weekend, reaching just over £6 million.
The coming weekend is expected to bring another varied selection of releases, including Sony’s heist comedy How To Rob A Bank and theatrical adaptation Prima Facie, Paramount’s Scrooge-inspired story Ebeneezer and Picturehouse Entertainment’s Palme d’Or winner Fjord.
